Monday, March 28, 2016

Old German Premium Lager Beer, circa 1975

Little "Herman the German" pictured on the can, "grew up watching his Opa and Omi brew beer in their single story stone-cottage located in Hamburg, Germany." In the 1970s, the Pittsburgh Brewing Company acquired the Queen City Brewing Company (1901–1976) of Cumberland, Maryland. The Queen City Brewing Company was also known as the Old German Brewing Company and included the Cumberland Brewing Company (1890–1958), which was purchased by the brewery in 1958. At its peak, the Queen City brewery produced over 250,000 barrels of beer a year in Cumberland. The company prospered during the 1950s and 1960s; however, labor disputes and declining sales caused the Queen City Brewing Company to close in December, 1974, transferring its Old German brand to the Pittsburgh Brewing Company. The Queen City brewery was demolished in April, 1975, ending a combined 152 years of brewing in Cumberland Maryland.